Singing Between Two Worlds:
Learning Traditional Music in the Heart of Modern India

A film by Ian Hardy

This is a warm portrait of one of the most revered musical families in India, in which the cherished tradition of dhrupad vocal music is passed on from father to son. The Dagar brothers are handsome, affable young men at home in contemporary India. Yet they sit cross legged on a carpeted floor submitting to the instructions of their father, hour after hour, day after day, in order to master the complex tonalities of this demanding music. Their musical tradition has been passed on orally from father to son, kept alive for thousands of years without the aid of writing.

Singing Between Two Worlds presents for the first time on film an in-depth look at the extraordinary approach to musical training fundamental to the classical music of India. This method is known as the guru shishya parampara. Through it, the Dagar brothers devote their lives to learning dhrupad vocal music, and strive to take their place among the twentieth generation of their family to have mastered this tradition. Viewers will gain an appreciation not only of the demands but also of the beauty of Indian classical music.

26 min. Video or DVD. Sale $250. Video rental $55.